Food companies and their misleading labels

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Food is for nutrition and to provide the body with energy and vital nutrients. Names of foods help us to know what the likely ingredients might be in it. But often, we notice that food names are misleading. They can fool a person into buying only to realize that it did not meet their expectations and imagination. For instance, take the example of samosa. An ideal samosa is refined wheat flour (maida) wrap with mashed potatoes and boiled peas inside. And when we say paneer samosa (cottage cheese stuffed fried dumplings), the picture that comes to our mind is of a wrap of refined wheat flour dough with paneer inside. But to your disappointment, you will find that these samosas are nothing but the normal samosas with mashed potatoes with or without boiled peas and just 1 small piece of cottage cheese at one corner!!! If we talk about rusks, most of these are made of refined wheat flour or maida which is not healthy. Maida is stripped of all the vital nutrients such as fiber, vitamins,
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Greener inhalers save the environment and also the cost!

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 Green alternatives for inhalers for asthma can effectively reduce greenhouse emissions and help the future of this planet. Read on to know how. 

Greener alternatives for asthma

Asthma care is heavily dependent on inhalers. They are essential for asthmatics and can be life-saving for them. But everything comes for a price and also potential side-effects. The inhalers use hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) propellants to generate the mist. These atomize the active drug and pump it out for inhalational use of the patient. They reach the lungs for desired action. 

But HFAs are potent greenhouse gases. A UK study has shown that 3.9% of the carbon footprint of the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom comes from these inhalers. Besides, they are also costlier than other forms of inhalational therapy for these asthmatics. 

What are the eco-friendly alternatives?

Eco-preserving or greener alternatives exist for asthma that are equally effective. These include dry powder inhalers and aqueous mist inhalers. 

Dry powder inhalers are eco-friendly and cheaper (Source: Researchgate)



The University of Cambridge researchers found that  metered-dose inhalers gave around 10-37 times more greenhouse gases than that emitted by dry powder inhalers prescribed and used. And replacing just 1 out of 10 inhalers diminished carbon dioxide emissions by 58 kilotonnes. This is same as 180,000 car trips from London to Edinburgh the distance of which is around 400 miles. This change also cuts cost by $10.5 million in one year. 

Individual benefits

Dry powder inhalers are also good and effective and safe. Besides, this one change would cut down the exposure to 330 to 882 pounds of CO2 a year for the person. Dr. Alexander Wilkinson, a consultant in respiratory medicine at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust in Stevenage, England states:

"Any move towards 'greener' inhalers would need to ensure that replacements were cost-effective," 

"By switching to less expensive brands, we've shown that it would still be possible to make a positive impact on carbon emissions while at the same time reducing drug costs,"

But ensure that the change-over is gradual and smooth and not abrupt. 

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